It’s hard to overstate the importance of the Lexus RX and NX. These two crossovers are the two biggest sellers for the luxury brand, accounting for over 50% of total sales in the US. In other words, these two CUVs print money for Lexus, allowing them the freedom to go out and create high-performance machines like the LC-F and IS 500 F Sport Performance.

And it’s easy to see why these two CUVs are so popular. Much like an Apple product, they live in that sweet intersection of luxury and appliance, feeling premium at every touch point, all while knowing that they will simply just work.

Lexus was kind enough to give us back-to-back loans of the RX and NX, and in similar trims, too. Specifically, the RX 450h F Sport AWD and NX 300h F Sport AWD. While looking at the two on paper will reveal some differences between the two, in practice, these two sporty hybrid crossovers feel remarkably similar. Is one better than the other? Not really, but we do have our own preference. But before that, a little about each one.

Lexus NX 300h F Sport AWD

It almost doesn’t make sense to cover this one as a new 2022 NX may already be out by the time you read this article. Doesn’t really matter, though: the new one is just a reskin of the current vehicle, so the overall dimensions and driving dynamics will remain the same. And hell, we still can’t tell the current and future versions apart when looking at them from the front.

This 2021 model marks the first time Lexus is applying the F Sport treatment to the NX Hybrid, and they went all out by adding the limited-edition Black Line edition to the lineup, which is the version we tested. It’s got all the usual F Sport Black Line goodies, including a brilliant Grecian Water blue paint job, color-keyed fenders, black alloy wheels, blue interior contrast stitching, and Zero Halliburton luggage. Lexus doesn’t include the luggage with their press loans…

Since its inception, this generation of NX has been our favorite crossover, well, ever. Its front seats are some of the best we’ve ever experienced, offering just the right amount of support and give, feeling as if it was tailored to our body. The controls aren’t the most modern in appearance, but we love the fact that they’re physical, tactile things. We spend far too much time in other luxury cars trying to figure out how to turn on the A/C. Not so here. Everything is dead-simple to use. And since it’s all Toyota componentry, it’ll last the life of the car as well.

Driving the NX 300h F Sport AWD is fine. Its gas engine is a 2.5-liter inline four, and even with the hybrid assist the vehicle only gets 194 total net horsepower. And that’s for a vehicle that weighs over 4,000 lbs. That electric stuff gives its assist down low, helping this NX hybrid feel confident on the streets and freeways. It’s a crossover, so despite that F Sport badge, this NX isn’t the sportiest-feeling thing on four wheels, but it handles well for what it is, and more importantly, delivers a pretty comfy ride.

Quick specs: 194 net horsepower, 4180 lbs, 0-60 in 9.1 seconds

Starting at: $46,900

Lexus RX 450h F Sport AWD

Our specific Lexus RX 450h F Sport AWD press car shared the same Grecian Water blue hue, black alloy wheels and interior details as the NX we describe above. And while riding on a newer platform than said NX, it still doesn’t feel as current as the “new” generation of Lexus products. So it doesn’t get the cool LC-inspired details now seen in everything from the IS to the hatch-like UX.

But that doesn’t mean Lexus is letting its money maker whither on the vine. The 2020 edition saw this crossover get a revised suspension, upgraded infotainment system, and Lexus Safety System 2.0+ (can’t forget that plus). These changes should help this model feel a bit more current until a new model comes out, which, knowing Lexus, is likely a long time out.

As far as the hybrid powertrain goes, the gas engine is a 3.5 liter V6, and total system output is a whopping 308 horsepower and 247 lb-ft of torque. But this is still a portly vehicle, weighing in at over 4700 lbs. And as for the actual driving experience behind the wheel? Mentally copy and paste everything we said about the NX and paste it here. All the same positives apply here. Despite the added power and lower 0-60 time, the RX hybrid doesn’t feel fundamentally different from the NX hybrid. Chances are, if you like one, you’ll like the other. But we do have a personal favorite.

Quick specs: 308 net horsepower, 4740 lbs, 0-60 in 7.8 seconds

Starting at: $51,500

So which one to buy?

Well, that depends. Do you like your crossovers sized medium, or extra-medium?

A lot of the key differentiators between these two CUVs are lost with the hybridization. Cargo areas in both are lacking, with high load floors covering all the electronic stuff. You may notice a bit of extra space between the front seats, but not enough for it to matter. Rear seats feel about the same space-wise, which is to say they’re adequate, but don’t feel as roomy as other crossovers in the class. And as we weren’t driving the RX-L, there are no third row benefits to speak of either.

So while both of these luxury crossovers are great at what they do, we found ourselves liking the NX a whole lot more. Its smaller exterior footprint, ample greenhouse and tighter front sheet metal made it feel more maneuverable—especially in tighter spaces. The RX feels as if it has too many blind spots. Maybe it's the high front fenders or weird C-pillar, but it’s hard to know where the vehicle’s edges are. We curbed one of the fancy wheels within the first 10 minutes of our loan (sorry, Lexus). But even days into our loan, we still didn’t feel like we knew the RX’s size any better. And we find it easy to drive tanks like the current Lincoln Navigator.

As it stands, the Lexus NX 300h F Sport AWD is our pick of the two. It’s one of those vehicles that does just about everything right, and almost never puts a foot wrong. And once you find yourself at the age where you need a crossover as a daily, it’s hard to find one better than this.

Two of a Kind: The Lexus RX F-Sport and Lexus NX F-Sport